


The Next Chapter

by pollitt



Category: Castle
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 22:04:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/142195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pollitt/pseuds/pollitt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a bar on the corner of a New York City block, there’s a booth, with its cracked leather seats and wood bearing the imprints of a century of diners and drinkers, authors and poets, saints and sinners. As the saying goes, if that table could talk, oh the stories it could tell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Next Chapter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [al_hazel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/al_hazel/gifts).



In a bar on the corner of a New York City block, there’s a booth, with its cracked leather seats and wood bearing the imprints of a century of diners and drinkers, authors and poets, saints and sinners. As the saying goes, if that table could talk, oh the stories it could tell.

A young woman walks into the bar, and as she does, the piano player starts up a jazzy tune. It’s not his usual fare and it’s that dissonance that turns some heads, the young woman’s long red hair turns others.

The bartender looks up and smiles. “They’re waiting,” he says as she walks by. “The usual?”

“Please,” she answers, flashing the bartender a familiar smile.

Although she’s not yet drinking age, she’s a regular here. More than a few indentations have been added to the grain of the back corner booth from her late nights studying, and she is a welcome member of the group that holds court in their booth. There are definitely perks of being the daughter of the owner.

00--00--00

“Sorry I’m late,” Alexis says as she approaches the booth and its occupants.

Almost everyone is already there and in their unofficially official places. On one end is the Chief, leaning out toward a quiet corner of the bar so he can talk on the phone to, most likely, with his wife. Next to him is Kate, who’s having a heated discussion about something with Detective Esposito, who’s sitting next to her. On Detective Esposito’s left, Detective Ryan is looking at the menu (as though everyone here couldn’t just order for him, he is nothing if not loyal). And then Dad, who is watching her with a look that she’s gotten a lot of recently--it’s like the jazz song, happy on the outside but if you look or listen deeper there’s a melancholy. She remembers the Chief had the same look last year just before he took his son to college. If you add the bone-deep excitement that comes with standing at the edge of a new adventure, Alexis is certain she’s been wearing the same look lately.

There are two spaces remaining, waiting for its Regulars. Alexis is one, and Gram will be along as soon as rehearsals are over for her newest off Broadway show. (Dad wasn’t just thrilled that she was starring in the musical parody of _Heat Wave_ , he even helped provide the book for the score. They have a celebratory bottle of champagne waiting for the first rave review).

“All packed?” Detective Ryan asks, looking up from the menu just in time to have Kate give him a look that could kill, and by the sudden pained look that crosses his face, for Detective Esposito to kick him under the table.

“Almost,” Alexis answers quickly. “What did I miss?”

“Your dad was starting to get worried,” Kate says, leaning forward and looking over at Dad. “He went a full five minutes without a witty quip.”

“I wasn’t. It wasn’t a full five minutes,” Dad protests as Alexis slides into the booth and into the curve of Dad’s arm and side. He gives her a tight hug and kisses the top of her head. “Detective Beckett is one for the exaggerations today.”

“I am not,” Kate says in mock indignation. “I get paid to solve the crimes, not to dream up tall tales, _Mister_ Castle.”

Alexis feels Dad’s arm relax ever so slightly. After a lifetime of education in reading the nuances of her father’s touch, Alexis knows this is exactly what he needs.

“So you’re saying you really did cuff a suspect with twist ties and a sandwich bag?” Detective Esposito asks, leaning back and stretching his arm across the back of the booth.

“Girl Scouts honor.” Kate raises her hand, three fingers pointing to the sky. Which she then points at the three men to her left. “And if you say anything about uniforms, any of you, you will find yourself with a first-hand experience.”

“I didn’t know those were standard police issue now,” Detective Ryan adds, his eyebrows raised.

Alexis watches Detective Ryan’s arm move slightly and she knows without having to see that his hand is resting on Detective Esposito’s leg.

Everyone--everyone at the table at least--knows about the two of them (Kate jokes that she knew about them before they even knew about themselves) and Alexis wouldn’t tell them to their faces, but they’re pretty adorable together when they try to be covert. They only succeed half the time anyway.

"That's one way to get around budget cuts," the Chief says, now done with his phone call. "This arrest has been brought to you by the makers of Glad products."

“Forget the standard issue, issue. Can we get back to Beckett's scouting career?” Dad asks, his voice full of boyish mischief.

“Dad!” Alexis elbows him in the side.

“Listen to your daughter, Castle.” Kate's voice says this isn't the first time they've had this exchange.

They haven’t made it there yet, Dad and Kate, but Alexis doesn’t have to be a detective, or an Edgar-winner (or a soon-to-be Ivy Leaguer. Although she is) to see that someday soon they’re going to get tired of just pulling each other’s pigtails and will just get together.

“There she is, my little graduate.” Gram glides in, bring the spotlight and the eyes of everyone in the bar with her. Alexis has spent over half of her life in dance classes but so far she can only dream of achieving her grandmother’s grace. “Oh darling, how the time has flown.”

As Gram takes her place at the table, pulling Alexis from the protective embrace of her father, the group is complete.

“Bartender, our drinks!” Gram says, and as if on cue (and Alexis wouldn’t put it past her father and grandmother if he really was on cue), the bartender is there.

Seven drinks are placed before them and when everyone has a glass, Detective Esposito proposes a toast.

“To Alexis. Even with Castle for a dad, she managed to succeed.”

“Thanks Detective--” she starts to say.

“You’re a college student now,” he says. “You can call me by my first name.”

“To Alexis,” Detective Ryan says.

“To Alexis,” Kate echoes.

“To Alexis. And to her dad,” the Chief adds in the spirit of fatherly camaraderie.

“And to her grandmother.” Gram’s addition, of course.

“To my little girl,” Dad says, quietly, and for a moment Alexis is afraid he’s going to cry. She’s pretty sure she’s moments away from crying herself.

Tomorrow morning, everyone will be back together again (with coffee and bagels instead of burgers and fries and beer (and a Shirley Temple)) to pack up Detective… Javier's SUV--Dad offered to buy a car just to take the drive, but Javier insisted--with everything she’ll need for college. Alexis feels a little like Dorothy just before getting into the Wizard’s balloon (or maybe Sarah after she’s solved the labyrinth) and she’s not sure how she’s going to say goodbye.

But tonight she’s going to celebrate and they’ll create more stories for the booth to absorb. And tomorrow will be the beginning of another adventure.

“To me.” Alexis raises her glass.

In a bar on the corner of a New York City block, there’s a booth where seven people are sitting and toasting to what comes next.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my betas for their awesomeness and brainstorming--some of which took place over text, because that's how we roll.
> 
> To alison_hazel, I hope you enjoy your story as much as I enjoyed writing it.


End file.
